Repair & Rejuvenate

Changing our bodies is hard work. Fat loss, muscle gain, athletic performance, shape change, and rehabilitation all require workouts that are challenging on many levels. Yet, doing more is not always the answer. In fact it can work against us if our ability to recover is overwhelmed by the amount of exercise you we doing. Working in and building energy with recovery is just as important as working out with resistance training, cardiovascular training, and corrective exercise. [1] There are many ways to work in, and active and passive rest are useful and have their place, the most powerful of these is without a question sleep. [2]

Sleep deprivation not only makes us tired, but it negatively affects every physiological system in our body. [3] There is a strong connection between the recovery effects of sleep and the immune system, emotional well-being, cognitive functioning, and neuromuscular performance. [4] This power of sleep starts in the bedroom.

The Bedroom: Creating a Sleeping Sanctuary

To reap maximal restorative benefits, we must create an optimal sleeping sanctuary. Use the following suggestions to get the most out of yours:

-Environment:

As our sleeping and waking patterns are dependent on our circadian rhythms. A few hundred years ago everything got dark when the sun went down, and we all went to sleep as darkness fell. Now with artificial light we can unnaturally stay awake, disturbing our circadian rhythms.

Keep lights low after the sun goes down

Avoid screens or at least use screen dimmers for several hours before bed

Use calming colors and textures in your bedroom.

Try going to bed by 10pm for maximal hormonal output.

Blackout curtains can be helpful in areas with street lamps or other light outside.

-Getting in the Mood:

A relaxing bedtime routine will help your body wind down and make falling asleep easier. Do the same things in the same order to create a sense of winding down. If you’re having trouble with this, try implementing the following approaches:

Making a list of stressors to be dealt with the next day

Yoga

Meditation

Reading a relaxing book

A Warm Magnesium Salt Bath

Massage

Music with a tempo slower than the heart rate

Herbal sleep tea

-Form and Function:

Sleeping posture is critical for proper alignment of the bones, airway, muscles, and organs. That is why we designed the Noble Pillow . Cultivating optimal sleeping posture has many positive downstream effects: